You are here

Sources & Definitions

Definitions

Attorney General

As the chief legal officer of the states, commonwealths and territories of the United States, the attorney general serve as counselors to their legislatures and state agencies and also as the "People's Lawyer" for all citizens

Direct Barrier

A policy or system in place that immediately impacts the ability to do something

Disenfranchisement

Preventing a person or group of people from having the right to vote

District Attorney

Represents the state government in the prosecution of criminal offenses, and is the chief law enforcement officer and legal officer of their jurisdiction

Felon Disenfranchisement

The loss of the right to vote due to a felony conviction

Gerrymandering

Manipulation of the boundaries of an electoral district so as to favor or harm one party or class

Indigenous Peoples

People native to a land, in the U.S. the indigenous peoples are often referred to as American Indians or Native Americans

Indirect Barrier

Significantly impacts one’s ability to do something, but could be less obvious than a direct barrier and more expansive

Inequities

Instances of injustice or unfairness

Marginalized

Social marginalization happens when a group of people are denied equal and adequate opportunity to determine their treatment by the members of the broader society. It usually includes the lack of representation, recognition of rights and equal redistribution of resources and services

Microaggressions

Everyday verbal, nonverbal, and environmental slights, snubs, or insults, whether intentional or unintentional, which communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative messages to target persons based solely upon their marginalized group membership

NAACP

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is an African-American civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 by Moorfield Storey, Mary White Ovington and W. E. B. Du Bois

Neighborhoods Organizing for Change (NOC)

A grassroots, Black-led organization working toward racial and economic justice for communities of color in the Twin Cities

Protestant

A member or follower of any of the Western Christian churches that are separate from the Roman Catholic Church and follow the principles of the Reformation, including the Baptist, Presbyterian, and Lutheran churches

Racial Equity

The condition that would be achieved if one's racial identity no longer predicted, in a statistical sense, how one fares

White Supremacist

The belief that white people are superior to those of all other races and ethnicities